Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: An archetypally great St-Julien. Bluish hue, raspberry nose, with an uncommonly upfront freshness and precision. Impressively constituted, powerful but elegant, with a more refined texture than of late. A wine to watch. 17

Margaret Rand: There’s not great concentration here, but a lot of prettiness. The tannins are ripe, and it will probably come round quickly. 15.5

Michael Schuster: fine, cedary, pebbly nose. Well-balanced medium-full wine, with a good core of fruit, supple acidity and firm, chewy tannin. Sweet, quite fleshy ripe fruit, elegant, even, vivid, moderately complex and with a gentle mineral background and a long, crisp finish. Good-quality, long-term Lagrange. Tasted next to its 2003, this seemed ‘cooler’ but classier. 15.5+